


gunshot wounds and tender touches

by rosebud_writer



Series: crime scenes, cinnamon, & other comforts [2]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Domestic, Caring Eudora Patch, Crime Scenes, Eventual Fluff, F/M, Gunshot Wounds, Hurt Diego Hargreeves, Hurt/Comfort, I Will Go Down With This Ship, I'm Bad At Tagging, Idiots in Love, Medical Inaccuracies, Mild Blood, No Apocalypse (Umbrella Academy)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-20
Updated: 2019-09-20
Packaged: 2020-10-24 21:14:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20712629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosebud_writer/pseuds/rosebud_writer
Summary: Diego and Eudora are called in as backup at a crime scene. When things go very wrong, Eudora has to try not to panic, but of course, Diego is never any help with that.





	gunshot wounds and tender touches

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! College has been really stressful, so I wrote... whatever this is. It's just kinda fluffy, so don't think too hard about the details ;) Uh so I guess, just take it how it is <3

Diego was drumming his fingers on the steering wheel again. He did this whenever they were called out, as if he was excited, blood pumping with adrenaline. Diego liked that kind of stuff, Eudora supposed it had something to do with his traumatizing childhood. He and his siblings had experience with being caught up in a fight, even learning how to deal with injuries. She suppressed a shutter, to live with that pressure on your shoulders at such a young age would be horrible. 

A crackle of the radio caught both of their attention. Instructions to enter the building, to be cautious of a suspected large group of robbers, where to hide, etcetera. 

After confirming their positions, Eudora turned her head to Diego, “You ready?” 

“With you by my side?” He flashed her a grin,” We’re unstoppable.”

“I think you’re the sidekick actually.”

“Pfft, whatever,”

“Hey!” a new voice interrupted from a few meters away,” Would you two stop it with the flirting?”

Eudora’s face flushed, but Diego let out a small bout of laughter.

“Sorry, Officer” He shot a wink towards Eudora, turning her blush a few shades darker, “We’re on it.” 

The mood shifted as the team entered the building. Little did she know, how fast things could take a turn for the worse. 

~   
Their team quickly split into groups of two, Diego and Eudora shifting through the dark shadows into a small corridor. 

The sound of a gunshot rang through the room, seemingly from behind them. Eudora turned in alarm, then slammed herself and Diego into the tight shelter of a doorway. 

She watched in horror as Diego clutched his shoulder, slumping slowly against the wall. His shirt was quickly being stained dark with blood. He made a small noise of surprise as he inspected his now reddened hand. 

Her numb fingers fumbled with the radio buttons, “ I need a medic! I need a medic on site right now!” Eudora felt herself losing it, focus now fixed only on Diego instead of the crime scene. Bits and pieces from their lessons in the academy on shock and panic floated through her mind, but the advice she knew like the back of her hand was slipping from her grasp. The radio only crackled in silence, what was going on?

“Eudora!” Diego’s disgruntled voice cut through her panic,” Eudora, you can't waste time on me!” 

She stared at him incredulously, what did he mean? He was hurt and-

“I’m not defenseless and I know how to deal with a gunshot wound,” oh god, she didn’t want to think about that. Diego kicked her leg lightly, groaning at the pain of a slight movement in his shoulder. 

“It’s okay,” He said, face pale, blue and red light from the cars outside highlighting the sheen of sweat starting to build on his forehead, his body was already starting to shiver from the growing cold. 

She pushed down her anxieties, a tremendous task at this given moment, gave Diego a nod and ran through the dark hallway. Not sure where her legs were taking her, but trusting her instincts.

~  
Please be okay. Please be okay, please. Eudora’s thoughts ran over themselves as she made her way back to where she left Diego. She had only been gone a few minutes, but that meant only trouble with any sort of bleeding wound. She could only pray he was okay. 

Eudora ran, just lucky enough to slow near where he was. She stumbled to the ground, kneeling over Diego. He was fine, just fine, she tried to convince herself. Her hands found their way to his wound, trying her best to assess it in the dim lighting. 

“Diego?” She gasped, breath ragged as the adrenaline slowly left her body, leaving the panic to bite. He wasn’t responding, no, no, no. Eudora felt her blood run cold, “Diego, please! Please wake up!” as she reached to touch his cheek, Eudora was horrified at the sight of his blood, seemingly everywhere. 

Diego’s eyes slowly opened, she felt a rush of relief wash over her. Eudora let out a small sigh, leaning back slightly on her heels. Diego looked up at her, eyes glazed and a little lost, he focused on her face and smiled. 

“Hey, sugar,” Diego’s words slurred together,” fancy meeting you here.” He let out a small laugh, then grimaced. 

“If I did not love you, Diego Hargreeves,” Eudora hissed,” I would leave you here.” 

“Ouch, that’s a bit harsh. Leaving your boyfriend to die in the c-cold?”

She bit her tongue, not wanting to waste anymore time, the warmth she felt while running was quickly escaping her and Diego was shaking on the ground. Even if Diego was awake at the moment, that wasn’t a promise he would stay like that. Her gaze drifted to his wound. Even in the dim lighting, the growing bloodstain near his right shoulder was concerning. 

She needed to put pressure on the wound, but with what? Bare hands would not only be unsanitary, but less effective. They had both rushed to the call and only had light jackets over their uniforms. Eudora braced herself for the cold and removed her jacket. With trembling hands, she began to compress the wound. A groan escaped Diego’s lips as she increased pressure. 

“Eudora! You-your j-jjacket!” He chattered, they both gasped as a freezing gust of wind ran right through them, “You’ll f-freeze.” 

“I’ll be fine.” She said through clenched teeth, keeping her body stiff, core engaged in an attempt to preserve heat. The weight of the situation was starting to come to her, they need help and they needed it soon. Neither of them could stay like this. Panic was starting to rear its head, Eudora felt the hot tears starting to escape. 

“No, Eudora,” Diego made an attempt to move her, but just this once, she was stronger. 

She pushed him down, ignoring his protests as her numb, shaking fingers attempted to make another call. 

“Please,” she begged,” I need help now.” Diego’s eyelids were starting to flutter shut, panic slamming itself against her heart, hot tears forcing their way to her cheeks, “Diego! No, no, you stay with me!” 

His lips were forming something, attempting to tell her something, before his eyes rolled into the back of his head. His name was tumbling off her lips at an alarming rate, breath hitching and wheezing. 

A hand on her shoulder surprised her, the same hands pulling her away from Diego.  
Someone placed a blanket around her shoulders, but Eudora barely noticed. The only thing that was on her mind was how still he was, how helpless.

The familiar faces of the paramedics from their team swam in and out of her tear stained vision. People giving her comforting or sympathetic looks, leading her to the back of the ambulance, where she sat, gripping Diego’s hand lightly with both of hers, pressing her forehead to it. 

“He’s going to be fine,” Someone told her, their words passing right through her. God. she hoped so because she wasn’t sure what she would do if they were wrong.

~

Diego shifted on the hospital bed. At his side, he came to realize, was Eudora. Head rested on her arms, asleep in an uncomfortable chair. Diego felt a pang of guilt, how long had she been there? The curtain to the window was drawn shut, the lights dimmed, hallways quiet, so he could only assume it was late into the night. 

He wanted desperately to talk to her, hear her voice, but he was also positive that she had been up much too late worrying and needed sleep. Slowly, with as much caution as he could, Diego placed his hand on Euroda’s head. A small physical comfort would have to suffice, for now. 

She sighed softly as he played gently with her hair. Thank everything she was here, Diego was pretty sure they would be dead a few times over without each other. Suddenly overcome with exhaustion and some emotion, Diego closed his eyes, hoping to find peace in sleep. Unconsciously, he shifted his injured shoulder in an attempt to get more comfortable. Sharp pain fired through his arm, Diego let an almost inaudible groan slip off his tongue. 

“Diego?” A sleepy voice asked, causing him to peek from under his eyelashes. Eudora was looking at him, eyes still drowsy, voice rough and soft at the same time, but full of worry.

“Hi.” He said gruffly, squeezing his eyes shut to try and fight the pain. Tears were prickling at the corners of his eyes, Diego let out a small whimper. His arm felt like it was burning. Eudora’s cool hand pressed against his cheek. He pressed against it, trying to focus on her, her feather fingertip touch, her light smell of cinnamon, her steady, calming presence. It didn’t erase the stinging in his arm, but in its own small way, her presence helped. A dart of guilt hit him in the heart, she had been sleeping so peacefully, why did he have to ruin everything today for her? The feeling was quickly washed over by another wave of pain. Diego would deal with that later. 

After a few minutes of steady breathing, trying to calm down, Diego met Eudora’s eyes. She always looked at him with such intensity. The heat of her gaze made his cheeks flush, which in turn perked the corners of her lips. 

Diego let his eyes flutter shut, Eudora hand retreated from its place on his cheek. He tried to not be disappointed, not wanting to be clingy, but the feeling was soon displaced when he felt a dip of the mattress beside him. 

Eudora squeezed herself in the tiny space on Diego’s good side, leaning her head lightly on her shoulder and taking his hand in both of hers. 

Her breath tickled his neck, and her slow, steady heartbeat lulled him to sleep. 

~

They walked slowly into the house, Eudora helping Diego stay upright. He was still woozy from pain and medication, she figured he would appreciate the extra support. Getting Diego out of the hospital took much longer than both of them wanted. By the time Eudora was driving home, they were both exhausted. 

Eudora helped him to the bed, despite his protests. 

“I’m fine, Eudora,” he told her, as she fretted over him,” go take care of yourself. It’s not like I’m going anywhere.”

“I can never trust you.” 

Diego winked, but she could see from his expression that he was exhausted. Deciding he would be okay for a little while, she left to briefly shower, needing to wash away the grime, and hoping that the terror would follow down the drain too. 

As she stood under the scalding stream of water, the gravity of how badly things could have happened made their way into her head. 

Diego could have died. 

Gone. 

Forever. 

She didn’t stay in the shower much longer.

Diego was in the exact same spot as when she left him. Only, his eyes were closed, body completely still. In the back of her head, Eudora knew he was just resting, but the memory of him so pale, bleeding, and unconscious was still fresh in her mind. 

She walked, as calmly as she could, to Diego’s side. His chest rose and fell at a steady pace, which was reassuring, but didn’t feel like enough. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Eudora traced her fingertips along the scar across his temple, letting her touch drag itself along the contours of his face. 

When she reached his lips, Diego’s eyes fluttered open. 

“Hi,” He said simply, voice quiet and sleep still pulling at him. 

“Hi,” a lump in her throat making itself present, God. She loved him, but why was everything so scary? Diego was fine. He was fine, sitting up slowly as he watched her struggle to push back the emotions. 

“Eudora?” Concern glimmering in his eyes, as he pushed himself up on one arm. 

Needing some sort of contact, confirmation that he was okay, Eudora leaned close and kissed Diego hard, being careful to not disturb his injured arm. He made a small sound of surprise, but quickly returned the favor. She ran her hands through his hair, grateful that he was safe in her arms. 

She pulled back, both of them breathless, his face flushed a bit pink, still disoriented. His lips were a little swollen too, the corners tugged up into a smirk. 

“Not that I’m complaining or anything, but what was that for?” Diego stroked her cheek with his good hand, Eudora caught it, pressing his palm to her lips. 

“You scared me.” She whispered, probably sounding like a teenager. Eudora pressed her face into his hand,” You-you were bleeding so much, and you wouldn’t wake up…”

“Hey, you’re not getting rid of me that easily.” His words were playful, but Diego’s tone was tender and reassuring. He thumbed a small tear that escaped from off her cheek, “We’re gonna be okay.” 

She let out a small sob, trying to urge away the rest of her tears. Diego let her cry, doing his best to hold her in their awkward position, stroking her back in soothing circles. Eventually, the tears stopped and Eudora was surprised at how much better she felt. It hit her that Diego was still wearing the hospital clothing given to him. She figured it would probably be more comfortable for him to wear one of his own. She rose from her spot on his lap, making her way to rummage through his closet. 

“Here,” she threw a shirt to Diego, which hit its mark, landing right on his face,” you should probably change into this.”

“Alright,” He said, picking the garment off his head,” but I might need some help.” Diego wiggled his eyebrows at Eudora, who in turn, rolled her eyes. “And maybe a kiss?” He added, grin spreading wide across his face. 

“You’re pushing it, pretty boy.” Eudora sighed, only a touch exasperated at her boyfriend's antics, but she indulged him anyways. 

“You know you love me,” he teased, trying to pull her in for another. 

Eudora placed a finger on his lips, “Nope. We need to get some sleep.” 

Diego made a pouty face, jutting out his lips. She let out a laugh, happy to see her boyfriend back to his stupid mischief. He tried to coax her into giving him a few more kisses, but eventually they settled comfortably in bed, each of them soothed by the steady rhythm of the other’s breath.

**Author's Note:**

> If you made it this far, thank you for reading! I love these two a lot and have too much fun writing them:) But now, I'm itching to write another sick fic. So I guess we all revert back to old habits. 
> 
> College has been lonely so far, so this has been a good crutch. I hope you are having a wonderful day and that you enjoyed this fluffy mess of a fic, thanks again!
> 
> -Rose <3<3


End file.
